OBD-II trouble code
P0212: Injector Circuit/Open - Cylinder 12
SAE J2012 APR2002: injector circuit/open, cylinder 12. It is the last injector row in that block. The printed pair is RepairPal's one-injector national average, which does not list a twelfth injector.
Quick facts
- System
- Powertrain
- Category
- Fuel Injectors
- Severity
- Medium severity
- Drivable
- Usually safe to drive short-term
- Repair cost range
- $770 – $950 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, RepairPal national average updated 3 September 2026; that page has no twelfth-injector line, and wiring is outside this pair)
- DIY difficulty
- Shop recommended
Browse every code in P0200–P0299, or start from the full code library.
What does P0212 mean?
SAE J2012 APR2002 names P0212 Injector Circuit/Open - Cylinder 12. P0294 is cylinder 12 injector circuit low and P0295 is cylinder 12 injector circuit high. After P0296, cylinder 12 contribution/balance, the table moves on to vehicle overspeed. Cylinder 12 is the end of the injector-circuit block in that standard, not a statement that this vehicle has twelve cylinders.
Section 3.1 says Circuit/Open is a fixed value or no response where specific high or low detection is not feasible, or the code used together with circuit low and high. P0294 and P0295 are those directional codes for this cylinder. A diagnosis that treats P0212 as 'the coil is open' skips the short the low and high rows exist to name.
The service documents used for cylinders 3 through 8 in this set do not reach cylinder 12. The 2009 Cobalt chart is four injectors. The 2008 Envoy chart is six. GRP01's injector-control rows are eight, with a 6 ms note only on cylinder 4. Volkswagen tips 01-20-02 and 97-18-02 list P0201 through P0204. None of them is a cylinder 12 procedure, and none of them places cylinder 12 at one end of a loom.
On an engine that does have a twelfth injector, test the control circuit in three passes. Open: ignition off, injector unplugged, module disconnected, continuity of the control wire. Short to ground: the same wire to ground, still with the module disconnected. Short to voltage: key on, injector unplugged, module disconnected, compared with the voltage this chart says an open circuit should show. If the unplugged reading matches that bias, the wire is not thereby shorted.
RepairPal's 3 September 2026 national average is one fuel injector, intake removal on the engines that description covers, and a statement that the replacement is not DIY. It does not price a twelfth injector. Depressurize before the rail is opened.
Common causes
- An open in the cylinder 12 control wire, both ends disconnected
- A short to ground found with the module disconnected
- A short to voltage found with the module disconnected, different from the chart's open-circuit bias
- A winding outside the resistance this chart prints
- P0212 read as an open coil when P0294 or P0295 is the code that names the direction
- A lower-cylinder procedure, including GRP01's times, applied to a code those documents omit
- A module driver, last, after the wire passes
Symptoms
- P0212 stored
- P0294 or P0295 when the result is low or high rather than the general circuit row
- No loom-position claim in the SAE title
- A twelfth injector where the diagram includes one
- A no-part outcome when the diagram stops before cylinder 12
Diagnostic steps
- 1.Check the diagram for a twelfth injector before any part number is pulled.
- 2.See whether the stored code is P0212, P0294, or P0295. They are three SAE rows.
- 3.Set aside the Cobalt, Envoy, GRP01, and Volkswagen procedures. They do not list P0212.
- 4.Ignition off. Unplug injector 12. Measure the winding against this engine's spec. Do not apply battery voltage.
- 5.Module disconnected: continuity, short to ground, then key-on short to voltage against the published disconnected voltage.
- 6.Depressurize. Do not open a high-pressure union to check for residual pressure.
- 7.If the injector is replaced, use RepairPal's description only for what that page covers: intake off where that job says so, battery disconnected, fire precautions, and not a DIY repair. The dollar pair is the national average, not a twelve-cylinder quote.
- 8.Run the monitor again. A cleared code without the test that sets P0212 is not the verification.
Repair cost
$770 – $950 (one fuel injector replacement, parts and labor, RepairPal national average updated 3 September 2026; that page has no twelfth-injector line, and wiring is outside this pair)
RepairPal's fuel injector replacement, updated 3 September 2026, averages $768–$953, rounded to $770–$950. Labor is $304–$446 and parts are $464–$507. The 2026 Hyundai Tucson line is $456–$604 and is outside the pair. A twelfth injector is not a line on that national page. Wiring is not in the pair. Check-engine diagnosis is $125–$183 and is separate.
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Open the Repair Cost Estimator with fuel injector replacement preselected. Adjust labor rate and vehicle category to fit your situation.
DIY vs shop
Leave this one to a qualified shop. The barrier here is high-pressure fuel components, where residual pressure remains after shutdown and escaping fuel can penetrate skin. DIY attempts often produce a more expensive problem than the original code.